Method of and apparatus for drying and storing dried material preparatory to processing



w. METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR DRYING AND STORING DRIED April 19,1927.

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F. HOSFORD MATERIAL PREPARATORY TO PROCESSING Flled July 26 1923 i of the apparatus by which it may be Patented' Apr. 1 9, 1927.

UNITED STATES .PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM 'FULLER HOSFORD, OF OAK PARK, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO WESTERN ELEC- TRIO COMPANY, INCORPORATED, A CORPORATION 0F NEW YORK.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR DRYING AND STORING DBIED MATERIAL PBE- PARATORY TO PROCESSING.

Application filed July 26,

This invention relates to a method of-an-d apparatus for drying and storing dried material.

An object of the invention is to remove afrom material practically all of the moisture contained therein and thereafter to store the dried material in a chamber so supplied with air of low moisture content that the material may be stored for considerable lengths of time without the introduction of moisture therein and operators may work around the stored material without serious discomfort.

Another object is to maintain a core independent of atmospheric humidity conditions during the drymg thereof and the application of a sheath thereto.

The method and apparatus constituting the invention is especially adapted for drying telephone cables constituting a plurality of copper conductors, each insulated with paper tapes and stranded into cable form before the application of a lead sheath to the cable. It is to be understood, however, that the improved method and apparatus is not limi-ted to the drying of cable, but may be employed for preparmg'other materials for other forms of processingl and for various other purposes without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

p It is believed that the improved method will be clearly understood by a description erf formed and the accompanying drawing, Figs. 1 and 2 of which illustrate in diagrammatic form plan andelevation views respectively of apparatus as utilized in the drying of a cable of insulated conductors preparatory to the application of a sheath therearound.

Referring to the drawings,va plurality of treating enclosures 10 are associated through. openings in the ends 12 thereof with a common receiving or 'storage enclosure 13 which through which cables may be fed from portyable reels in the enclosure 13 to a corresponding number of lead presses 23 of any well-known type for applying a lead vsheath to the cables. Each` enclosure 10 is provided with doors 14 and19 adapted to close openings in ends 11 and v12 respectively thereof, the door 19 being adapted to be maintained in a partially closed position when desired. An air conditioning apparais provided with a plurality of openings 22 l 1923. serial No. 653,845.

tus diagrammatically illustrated by the rectangle 15, and which may be otK any wellwith a suitable air pump or blower apparatus 16 for withdrawing air from the enclosure. An exhaust apparatus (not shown), but which may be of any suitable type, and a source (also not shown) of air dried by chilling or by chemical treatment, are connected fo each enclosure 10 by conduits 21 and respectively. Valves 32 and 33 are included in the conduits 21 and 30 respectively for opening and closingsuch conduits. y

In practicing the method, the cable of paper insulated wire is wound upon a portable reel 25 which serves as a take-up reel Ifor the cable stranding machines. A plurality of reels 25 are introduced into an enclosure 10 through the opening formed in the end 11 thereofl by the opening of the door 14, the door l19 at this time completely closing the opening in the end 12 of such enclosure 10. After one of the enclosures 10 has been completely loaded with reels 25 containing the cable to be dried, the door 14 is closed, rendering the enclosure airtight. The door 19 is then partially opened to provide for a circulation of air between1 the enclosure 13 and the selected enclosure/.

10. The temperaturev of the enclosure 10' "is then raised to approximately 260 F ahrenheit as soon as may be possible by the iow of steam or other heating medium through the associated coils 20. At the same time air having a moisture content ofl approximately'lO per cent and heated to a temperature between 100 Fahrenheit and 110 Fahrenheit, obtained from the air conditioning apparatus 15, is introduced into the enclosure 10 through the opening inthe end 12 provided by the partially opened door 19. This air is drawn through the enclosure 13 and the enclosure 10 by means of a pump or blower 16 through the pasenclosure ,tact with the cables on the reels 25 Within the enclosure 10 and serves to remove a considerable portion of the moisture in the cables and to facilitate the heating of said cables. After the circulation has been maintained for about three hours, it is stopped by closing the valve 18 and the door 19 is then closed so as to render the end 12 of the enclosure 10 nir-tight. The absolute pressure in the enclosure 10 is then reduced to that corresponding to one inch of mercury or less by the opening of the valve 32 in the conduit 21, serving to conneet the exhaust apparatus with the enclosure 10. The reduced pressure is maintained for a period of lfrom three to twentyone hours, dependent upon the number of conductors comprising the stranded cable. The combined treatment of the cable by heat and vacuum just described withdraws from the cables on the reels 25 substantially all moisture remaining after the lirst-mentioned period of treatment. lAtmospheric pressure is then restored in the enclosure 10 by opening the valve 33 in the conduit 30, thereby admitting air which has been previously dried by chilling or by being chemically treated.

The door 19 is theny completely opened and the reels 25 containin the treated cables 'are Withdrawn from tie enclosure 10 into the enclosure 13 by operators Working within the4 enclosures. As the variousV lead presses 2v3-are in position to receive cables, the cable reels may then be properly positioned before the openings 22 in the enclosure 13 so that the cables may be Withdrawn therefrom and passed through the correspending lead presses 23 which apply lead sheaths thereto. The dor 19 is then again completely closed. The valves 32 and 33 are also'closed and upon the subsequent opening of the door 14, the particular enclosure 1() which has been emptied is ready '.to be loaded with a new charge 'of reels of cable, the cycle ofoperations previously described being repeated during the time the previously treated cables are being sheathed by the presses 23. `Each of the enclosures 10 may be operated in the manner described, and upon the com letion of.

the treating of the cables,`the ree s may be moved therefrom into the common storage 'chamber 13. It will be `noted-thatat no time are the doors 14 and 19 of a particular 10 contemporaneously in an opened or partially closed position.

Although the air Within the 'enclosure 13 is maintamed at a temperature ranging beteeaaee tween 1 0()o Fahrenheit and 110 Fahrenheit, this temperature does not cause serious discomfort to the operators working Within the enclosure /or the reason that the moisture content o1 such air is as low as ten per cent.

The relation of the size of the enclosure 13- to the amount of air received from the conditioning apparatus 15 and the Weight of the cables on the reels 25 is such that when` an enclosure 10 is opened and the heated cables on the reels 25 discharged therefrom into the enclosure 13, the temperature in the latter enclosure will not be 'raised above the predetermined limit of O Fahrenheit. Furthermore, the storage enclosure, being directly connected lwith the treating enclosures and being constantly supplied with dry air, it is evident that not only are the cables maintained independent ot' outside atmospheric humidity conditions throughout the dryingprocess and the storage period, but also the cables may be stored therein for a considerable length of time without introducing any moisture therein.

Although, as shown, a plurality of treat- .ing enclosures 10 may be used with a single storage enclosure 13 and a plurality of lead presses 23 may be supplied from a single enclosure 13 and. the associated enclosures 10, it is evident that this method is not limited to this particular arrangement, since the enclosures l() and 13 may be individually associated and a single lead press employed for such a combination ot enclosures.

What is claimed is:

1. The method of preparing material for processing, consisting in drying the material in one enclosure, transferring the dried ma terial to a storage enclosure, and maintaining the material independent of atmospheric humidity conditions continuously throughout the drying, transferring and storage thereof.

2. The method 'of preparing material for processing, consisting in removing the moisture therefrom in a plurality ot' stages in one enclosure, and' transferring the dried material under substantially the same humidity conditions to a storage inclosure containing 'air of low moisture content.

3. The method of preparing material ior processing, consisting in removing the moisture therefrom in a plurality of 'stages in one enclosure, transferring the dried material to a storage enclosure containin@ air of low /moisture Content, and maintalning the material independent of atmospheric humidity conditions continuously during the drying, transferring and storage thereof.

4. The method of preparing material for processing, consisting in removing moisture therefrom in one inclosure and thereafter transferring the material under substantially the same humidity conditions to a storage terial in `ancnclosure, heat-ing the enclosure to a relatively high temperature to remove moisture from the material, producing a vacuum in the enclosure to remove substantially all remaining moisture from the material, re-establishing atmospheric pressure conditions in the enclosure, and transferring the dried material under substantially the same humidity conditions to a storage enclosure containing air of predetermined moisture content at a relatively loW temperature.

7. The method of preparing material for' processing, consisting in depositing the material in an enclosure, heating the air in the` enclosure to a relatively high temperature, producing a vacuum in the enclosure, introducingpreviously dried air into the enclosure to re-establish atmospheric pressure therein, and thereafter transferring thev dried material under substantially the same humidity conditions to a storage enclosure supplied with air of low moisture content.

8. The method of drying cable preparatory to applying a sheath thereto, consisting in heating the air surrounding the cable to a relatively high temperature, thereby removing a portion of the moisture from the cable, producing a vacuum around the cable to remove substantially all of the remaining moisture therefrom, transferring the cable in the presence of air of low moisture content toa storage enclosure, and malntaining the cable independent of atmospheric humidity conditions during the removal of the moisture therefrom, the storage and transfer thereof, and the application of the sheath thereto.

9. The method of drying cable preparatory to applying a sheath thereto, consisting in deposlting the cable in an enclosure, heating the air in the enclosure to an average temperature of 220 F. to reduce the moisture content of the air to one per cent, reducing the pressure within the enclosure to correspond with one inch of mercury, maintaining the reduced pressure for at least three hours contemporaneously therein, maintaining the temperature of the enclosure at approximately 260 F., then introducing into Vthe enclosure previously dried air to re-establish atmospheric pressure, and thereafter transferring the cable under substantially the same humidity conditions to a storage enclosure containing air having a moisture content of approximately ten per cent.

l0. In an apparatus for drying material, two enclosures, one of said enclosures designed so` that it may be closed air-tight, means for establishing communication between the enclosures, means for heating the air in the first-mentioned enclosure, means for creating a vacuum in said first-mentioned enclosure after it is closed air-tight, and means for supplying .the `other enclosure with air of predetermined moisture content.

11. In an apparatus for drying material, a storage enclosure, a treating enclosure adapted to be made air-tight and directly connected with the storage enclosure, a door for separating .the enclosures, and means for supplying air of predetermined moisture content to the storage enclosure.

l2. A method of treating materials preparatory to processing, which consistsV in subjecting the materials to a heating medium in one enclosure, simultaneously there` with exposing said materials to lair of a predetermined moisture content, transfer` ring'the materials to a separate storage enclosure, and maintaining the materials independent of atmospheric humidity conditions continuously throughout the treating, transferring and storing thereof.

In 4Witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 14th day of July A. D., 1923.

WILLIAM FULLER HOSFORD. 

